The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) announced Wednesday an unprecedented initiative to monitor incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration, citing deep concern over his record of anti-Israel statements and associations with figures accused of antisemitism.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said the "Mamdani Monitor" and a new antisemitism tipline were necessary to "protect Jewish New Yorkers during a period of unprecedented antisemitism" in the city, which has the world's largest Jewish population outside Israel.
"Mayor-elect Mamdani has promoted antisemitic narratives, associated with individuals who have a history of antisemitism, and demonstrated intense animosity toward the Jewish state," Greenblatt said in a statement.
"We will hold the Mamdani Administration accountable to this basic standard."
The initiative comes just a day after Mamdani, a 34-year-old self-described democratic socialist and supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, was elected mayor in one of the most divisive races in modern city history.
According to the ADL's release, the organization's new effort will include:
-The NYC Antisemitism Tipline, allowing residents to report harassment, vandalism, or threats targeting Jewish individuals and institutions.
-Enhanced research capabilities to track Mamdani's policy and personnel decisions for actions that could impact Jewish safety.
-The "Mamdani Monitor," a public tracker providing transparency about City Hall's moves that may affect the Jewish community.
Greenblatt told the New York Post that Mamdani's public support for BDS and refusal to affirm Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state were major warning signs.
"The BDS campaign is antisemitic," Greenblatt said. "Whether intentional or not, that's what BDS is. It leads to violence against the Jewish people. It seeks to delegitimize the Jewish state. It leads to bad things."
He added: "We want the Jewish people to know we have their back."
The ADL's new initiatives follow alarming statistics: In 2024, the organization recorded 976 antisemitic incidents in New York City — the highest count in any U.S. city and the highest since the ADL began tracking such incidents.
NYPD data show that 54% of all hate crimes in the city last year targeted Jews.
Other Jewish organizations, including the UJA-Federation of New York and the New York Solidarity Network, joined the ADL in expressing alarm at Mamdani's election.
The UJA called his views "fundamentally at odds with our community's deepest convictions."
"Mamdani's rise reflects how far-left ideology is seeping into mainstream politics — even in a city that has long been a safe haven for Jewish life," said one community leader quoted by the Post.
Greenblatt's statement underscored that the ADL expects the new mayor "to stand unequivocally against antisemitism in all its varied forms and support all of his Jewish residents just as he would all other constituents."
Mamdani's victory has split Jewish New Yorkers, with some community members expressing cautious optimism while others remain alarmed, The New York Times reported.
During his campaign, Mamdani argued that Israel has committed "genocide in Gaza" and resisted condemning the slogan "globalize the intifada" — statements that fueled accusations of antisemitism from former Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo and others.
In his victory speech, however, Mamdani sought to calm tensions, vowing to "stand steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and not waver in the fight against antisemitism."
But to critics, his words rang hollow.
"It's easy to make promises from a podium," one Jewish leader said. "What matters is what happens in City Hall."
For now, the ADL says it will be watching closely.
"This is just the start," Greenblatt said. "We will be relentless and unyielding in our work to ensure the safety and security of all Jewish New Yorkers."